The present invention relates to an improved set of golf clubs wherein the irons have a common club weight, length and lie. The woods also have a common club weight, length and lie. In addition, both the irons and the woods have an improved location for the center of gravity for the clubs based on the distribution of the total club weight distribution. Thus, the only real variant in both the irons and the woods is the club face loft. As a result, a golfer using the Applicant's set of golf clubs only has to learn one swing for all the irons and one swing for all the woods as opposed to a different swing for each individual club with present golf club sets.
Under current USGA rules, a golfer is permitted to carry 14 clubs during a round of golf. A typical set of golf clubs will include a putter, 4 woods and 9 irons. The length, lie and club weight of each of the golf clubs is different for each numbered club. Most manufacturers vary the individual club lengths by 1/2 inch with the lowest numbered club having the longest length. Thus, if the number nine iron is 351/2 inches long, the eight iron would be 36 inches, the seven iron 361/2 inches, etc., all the way to the number one iron which would be 391/2 inches long or 4 inches longer that the number nine iron. With the woods, the club lengths are also varied with the driver being the longest club. Thus, if the driver were 43 inches long, the number two wood would be 421/2 inches long, the number three wood 42 inches, etc. Other manufacturers use the same principal except that they vary their shaft lengths by 1/4 inch increments.
In addition to the manufacturers varying the length of each club in a set, they also vary the lie of each club. Longer irons and woods have flatter lies than do shorter irons and woods. Thus, a number nine iron is a shorter more vertical club that a number one iron which, in turn, causes the golfer to stand much closer to the ball when using a nine iron than when using a one iron. This difference in clubs causes the golfer to swing each club differently.
Under current golf club design, the manufacturers also lighten the weight of the club head as the clubs get longer. Thus each club will have a different club head weight, different club shaft length, different lie and different total club weight. The combination of all of these factors in turn requires the golfer to take a different stance and thus a different swing for each club. To be proficient, the golfer must train his muscles to "remember" the 14 different stances and swings for each golf club. This generally can only be accomplished by repetitiously hitting balls with each club. Thus, the explanation why an amateur will hit good and bad shots with the same club and why an amateur will play one club better than another. All amateur golfers seem to have at least one club they feel very comfortable hitting with and other clubs they avoid using because they can never seem to swing the club properly. This is because each club has individual design parameters and therefore must be swung differently. This variance in the individual club design and resultant swing also explains why there is a much greater difference between the professional and the amateur in golf than in any other sport. Muscle memory is 99% of the game and there are 14 clubs to memorize as opposed to one racket in tennis or one bat in baseball.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a set of golf clubs that standardizes as many of the golf club design criteria as possible from club to club so that the number of swings a golfer must memorize is greatly reduced. With the present invention, the golfer only has to memorize two golf swings: one for the irons and one for the woods.
Golf clubs are also presently designed with the club head weight distribution based on the assumption that the club head is acting as a free flying object when it hits the ball. Thus, the designers tend to think in terms of club head center of gravity rather than total club center of gravity and the club heads are weighted accordingly. A typical iron, for example, will have approximately 57% of the club head weight on the toe half of the club head and 43% of the weight in the heel half of the club. When the club head is connected to the shaft via the heel, the addition of the hosel portion of the shaft and glue to the heel portion of the club head brings the club head weight distribution back to approximately 50% for each half of the club head. This weight distribution, however, does not account for the weight of the grip and the shaft above the hosel.
Research by the applicant has indicated that when a ball strikes the dead center of the face of a prior art golf club, the head still tries to rotate about its shaft. This is despite the 50/50 club head weight distribution of current club designs. In reality, the shaft weight cannot be ignored if club head rotation is to be reduced.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a golf club with an improved center of gravity through proper club weight distribution thereby reducing the rotation of the club when it strikes the ball.
While rotation of the golf club is dependent upon the center of gravity of the club, it is also dependent upon the grip design as well. Presently, golf club grips are substantially circular with some tapering or change in diameter. Some grips have the added feature of ribbing on the bottom of the grip. Such designs tend to rotate easily in the hands and provide little assistance in preventing rotation of the club head.
It is therefore an additional object of the present invention to provide a golf club with an improved grip design to further minimize club head rotation.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a further review of the following specification, claims and drawings.